Disco pioneer Marc Cerrone has said his music featuring in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is “the cherry on the cake” of his 50-year career.
The musician, 72, will see two of his songs, Give Me Love and UK top 10 hit Supernature from 1977’s Cerrone 3, played by a symphony orchestra of 150 musicians as the ceremony ends.
Cerrone told the PA news agency he was initially approached by the ceremony’s music director, Victor le Masne, who wanted to use Supernature’s b-side, Give Me Love.
The producer invited Mr le Masne to his studio to discuss the plans, where he told him he had been working on a symphonic interpretation of his catalogue, and that the only track which would be altered would be Supernature in order to give it “more expression”.
After Cerrone played the music director three minutes of the track, he asked to have a copy.
Once the symphonic performances were finished, Mr le Masne asked Cerrone if he could include the track in the ceremony along with Give Me Love.
Cerrone said: “It’s a big gift for me.
“It’s massive, especially where it is going to be played. You will see it’s surprising, it’s a big honour for me, I couldn’t have imagined it 47 years back.
“Supernature surprised me a lot of times. It’s been involved in the soundtrack climax and at the beginning of movies.
“Supernature made me have a lot of big moments, but to finish the ending of the celebration of the Olympic Games, wow, what can I say?
“It’s a double celebration, it’s a celebration for the Olympic Games of course, but it’s my celebration too.”
Born in the Vitry-sur-Seine suburb of Paris to Italian parents, Cerrone is known as the godfather of disco. He has released 23 studio albums as part of both his solo career and as a member of the band Kongas.
With his third album, Cerrone was one of the early adopters of introducing electronic instrumentation into disco, alongside Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s I Feel Love.
The single Supernature reached number eight in the UK singles chart, with lyrics written by new wave star Lene Lovich, which told of artificial chemicals taking their revenge against mankind.
When the track is performed tonight, late Hull-born singer Kay Garner’s original vocals will played over the orchestra, something Cerrone is particularly pleased with, after she died in 2007.
He said he had asked her to sing as “no girl, no man” for the original track, and feels no other singer has been able to replicate her performance.
He added: “Today, 47 years later, so many big stars try to sing Supernature and to explain the same kind of expression, and it doesn’t arrive.
“So we decided to keep the original vocal, and for me this is the cherry on the cake.
“She’s not with us any more, so the feeling on that track tonight is really strong.”
Cerrone said he was confident his home city would produce an “amazing” event.
He said: “There’s a lot of secrets about what is going to happen, but from what I see, I know it’s going to be absolutely amazing.
“Right in the middle of the city, you have no idea how the Parisians are living, everything is closed.
“From what I see already, I can’t explain to you because the special effect, specifically for the ending, it made me think wow, you can’t do that in the stadium.
“You will be surprised, I promise you.”
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